This weeks got off to a difficult start with numerous phone calls to the cabin company and some stern words spoken. They did send me the bits on Wednesday, although when construction began we realise there are a few bits STILL missing, namely a few hinges and some draught excluder, nothing that prevented us getting on today.
On Sunday night I got the Ball's blue book out again and made some spicy tomato salsa. Unfortunately I'd left the tomatoes in the fridge far too long and half of them were mouldy, so the quantity produced was reduced. I hate it when that happens, we've just been so busy. The salsa was tasty and I made some wraps on Monday and we ate all that wouldn't fit in the mason jars. The colour is a bit more brown than I expected.
The rest of the week we've been to work and in the evenings we painted the inside faces of the door and window frames as once constructed we wouldn't be able to reach them. We also put down the bearers and made up the first level of the cabin and levelled it. James also spent Friday evening making up the casement frames so as to take the pressure off us building today. I spent Friday evening having a chat with some girlfriends so I wasn't much help there.
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| How we started the day |
My mum came over this morning to look after the children today so that James and I could crack on and get as far as we could.
We got a pretty good rhythm going with me moving the logs into position and James following behind me tapping them down. The windows and door slotted in, they sort of float freely in the frame to allow for the natural expansion and contraction of wood.
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| Here you can see how the logs slot into the window and door frames |
We only had one major upset. Once we had gotten up to the top of the door a long log slots in that has a small cut out for the door frame to sit in. The bloody idiots had only cut it in the wrong place, honestly what more can you say about the incompetence!? Luckily for me I have a handy husband. They have sent a vast quantity of wrong parts and this worked to our benefit as there was a piece the correct length spare and James measured up and cut the slot in the right place.
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| The building inspector came round to check progress |
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| Gables up and trusses in |
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| Nailing down the roof |
We built the walls and the gables and got the roof trusses in place. We even managed to get the roof boards on, yay. It was long day and we're both knackered, although being photographer there's never a photo of me working, but I promise I do! We need to put on the roof felt and treat and paint the whole thing, followed by putting the glass in the windows and doors. I'm going to pull in volunteers to help us get it all painted before the bad winter weather settles in for good. Luckily I have a supportive group of friends.
Tomorrow we've got a birthday party to go to so hopefully a bit of a rest.
I have cabin envy here, hard work but it will be worth it.
ReplyDeleteThanks Marlene, like all hard work it'll be worth the result!
DeleteOh Kirsty, I am so pleased that your temporary home is almost completed. .....and don't feel bad about not being able to process all your tomatoes before they went mouldy because I have had a bucket of tomatoes doing exactly the same thing due to me having to do other things. The chickens enjoyed them though. As for not appearing in the photos because you are the one taking the photos, well it is the same for me as well, so we both know that we are working hard even though there is no photographic evidence of us doing so!
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty accepting Vera, there are only so many hours in the day and sometimes we all struggle to fit everything in. It still irritates me that I could have managed my time better though, but hey ho!
DeleteThe cabin looks fantastic, but you two have had so much trouble with that company!
ReplyDeleteYour salsa looks really good. I have to admit that none of my canned tomato goods come out very red-looking.
My tomato pasta sauce was quite red, the salsa was a wee bit brown though but tastes good.
DeleteLooks good, if you do need a hand painting let me know but can't help till the week after next!
ReplyDeleteI hope by then I'll have done the vast majority of it, but I'll bare you in mind!! not to mention the girls, they'd have a field day x
DeleteYou're making a lot of headway. My wife helps me when I have to work outside on major projects, like when we replaced the porch roof. But she doesn't really like to. That's ok because I'm not much on that kind of work either. But we have worked hard the last two weeks and gotten a lot of things done I should have done this past summer.
ReplyDeleteYour poor wife, you did remember she's retiring though, not starting a new life as a labourer ;-)
DeleteBeautiful work! So glad your kid got to be involved too : ) Keep it up! The cabin already looks fantastic.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jordan, he loves a good mess around with practical jobs, by the time he's a teenager I hope to have him trained to do lots of jobs!
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